Disaster risks, characteristics and impacts in Pakistan

1. Disaster risks, characteristics and impacts in Pakistan National Disaster Management Practitioners, Islamabad, Pakistan Module 1 Session 1.2

2. Learning Objectives At the end of the session, participants will be able to: • Understand the risk profile of Pakistan • Learn about the most frequent hazards and their impacts in the country

3. Disaster Risk Profile Pakistan is exposed to various types of natural and human- induced hazards due to; • Diverse topographical features • Varied Climate in different regions • Uneven population density • Unplanned development in disaster prone areas • Vulnerability of population segments • Poverty • Pressure on natural resources • Lack of awareness on Disaster Risk Management

4. Most frequent Hazards in Pakistan Earthquakes Flooding Droughts

5. Most frequent Hazards in Pakistan Cyclones Landslides

6. Human-inducedHazards In addition to the natural hazards, the most frequent human-induced hazards are; • Transport • Urban fires • Terrorism • Civil conflicts and internal displacements of communities etc.

7. Earthquakes Pakistan lies upon Indo- Australian plate which is continuously moving and causing earthquakes The Koh-e-sulieman, Hindu Kush and Korakuram mountain ranges are particularly vulnerable and the resulting devastation can be immense because of the poor construction of the buildings

8. Districts Prone to Earthquake • Northern areas and Chitral district in KP Province • Muzaffarbad, Neelum, Bagh and Rawlakot in Azad Kashmir region • Whole of Gilgit-Baltistanprovince • Quetta, Chaman, Sibi, Zhob, Khuzdar, Dalbandin, the MakrancoastincludingGawadar and Pasni in BalochistanProvince • Murree in Punjab Province • Whole of Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA)

9. Droughts The incidence of drought in Pakistan is becoming increasingly due to • low rainfall • extreme variations in temperature The most susceptible regions experience a drought 2 or 3 years every decade

10. Districts Prone to Drought • Umerkot, Tharparker, Mirpur Khas in Sindh Province • Dera Ghazi Khan and Bahawaplpur districts in Punjab Province • D.I.Khan, and some part of Bannu district in KP • Kohlu, Dalbandin, Turbat, Kharan, Panjgur in Western Baluchistan

11. Floods Pakistan is one of the most flood prone countries in South Asia Indus is the largest river of Pakistan and its tributaries are Kabul, Swat, Jhelum, Chenab, Ravi, Beas and Sutlej

12. Generally floods in these rivers occur in late summer (July to September)due to heavy monsoon rains • Flooding can also occur as the result of glacial lakes breaking that are caused by high summer temperatures • Floods in Pakistan can also occur due to the dam bursts.

13. Districts Prone to Floods • Hyderabad, Sukker, Nawab Shah districts in Sindh Province • DeraGhazi Khan, Multan, Muzaffargargh, Jhelum, Rahimyarkhan and Lahore districts in Punjab Province • D.I. Khan, Peshawar, Nowshera, Charsadda, Swat, Mardanand DeraIsmail Khan district in Khyber PakhtunkhwaProvince • Kech, Jaffarabad, Nasirabad districts in Baluchistan Province

14. Landslides Landslide caused due to • earthquakes • flooding • heavy continuous rainfall

15. For all types of slope failure, soil moisture plays a vital role because water reduces the soil strength and increases the stress • Cutting of trees (deforestation) is a major cause of landslides

16. Districts Prone to Landslides • Bagh, Bhimber, Neelum and Muzaffarabad in Azad Jammu & Kashmir region • Astore, Diamer, Gilgit & Ghanche in Gilgit-Baltistan Province • Kaghan, Naran & Chitral in KP Province • Murree in Punjab Province

17. Tsunami • A very large ocean wave caused by an underwater earthquake or volcanic eruption • The tsunami generated sea waves ranging between 12 and 15 meters in height, which contributed to the death toll • Pakistan also has a history of tsunami disaster

18. Districts Prone to Tsunami • Gwadar, Lasbela, Pasni, Jiwani in Baluchistan Province • Thatta, Badin and Karachi in Sindh Province

19. Cyclones/storms • When the cyclone strikes the land, high winds, rainfall and storm surges cause damage with secondary flooding and landslide • The frequency of cyclones is low along Pakistani coast but they can cause considerable damage • Strong winds create disaster by destroying human settlements, electric, communication installations and trees • As the result of cyclones, the areas are left water logged where cultivation is not possible for months due to the soil conditions

20. Districts Prone to Cyclone/Storm • Kech, Gwadar, Lasbela, Pasni, Jiwani in Baluchistan Province, • Thatta, Badin and Karachi in Sindh Province

21. Transport Accidents • Transport accidents are very common in Pakistan • Hundreds of people have been killed in train and road accidents • Recent incidences of Air Blue crash during 2010 and Bhoja air crash 2012 in Islamabad cause heavy loss of lives

22. Urban Fires • Recently Pakistan has experienced major urban fire incidents in Karachi causing deaths and heavy financial damages to property • The chances of fire increases with urbanization, unplanned CNG gas filling stations in urban areas and unauthorized LPG gas stores • The sale of petroleum products in the residential areas is also widespread in the cities • These practices combined with mass culture of smoking cigarettes could pose a major fire risk • The fire services in urban centres are poorly equipped

23. Terrorism Pakistan for last few years has been turned into land of casualties or victims where all time people are at risk of hazard of terrorism

24. Psychological causes, unemployment, lack of education, Poverty and use of religion are the main causes of terrorism • Most common types of terrorism are bombing, kidnapping, arm attack and assassination

25. Civil Conflicts & Internal Displacement of communities • Pakistan is a diverse society, ethnically, linguistically, religiously and culturally • This diversity has sometimes led towards civil conflicts amongst various social groups

26.  Creating insecurity for various social groups in the affected areas and causing internal displacement of communities • These conflicts caused loss of life and damage to property

27. Regions Vulnerable to IDPs • FATA, PATA regions • Gilgit-Baltistan Province • Swat, Dir in KP Province • Southern Punjab Province • Balochistan Province • Azad Jammu & Kashmir Regions

28. Impact of Disasters These all hazards pose a greater threat to the lives, livelihood, physical and mental health of susceptible communities